NOTE: This chapter is rated FR15

Chapter One

Author's Notes: This is a reply to the Challenge Fic: Role Reversal by BerserkerNW

I had fun writing this. I had to think about how Sam and Dawn would be changed by their family. I'm proud of this; even I think I made Sam too bratty. They are supposed to be about 17. Joyce will die later on. Only because I needed them to be close in age. Sorry, it took such a long time to get this out. I lost it but then I found it. So, here goes...

FULL SUMMARY:
Samuel Summers hated growing up under his big sister's shadow. The slayer was bossy and annoying, and he knew it was her fault that he kept getting kidnapped. After the collapse of Sunnydale the 'family' moves to Cleveland.

When she was six months old, a demon killed Dawn Winchester's mother in a house fire. Since then her family has traveled all over America killing evil things. Now Dad is missing and the search takes Dawn and her brother Dean through Cleveland.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Sam reached out to rearrange the flowers in the vase on his mother's tray. His older sister slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch anything," she told him, sternly.

"I wasn't gonna!" Sam held up his hands.

"I mean it, Sam. Mom's not feeling well and I'm making her a nice, healthy breakfast and I don't need your dirty germs all over it," Buffy told him, annoyed.

"I'm not twelve, Buffy!" Sam glared at his sister.

"I know that, Sammy, but you're still a klutz," Buffy said, putting a plate down on the breakfast tray. Sam rolled his eyes, ignoring her, "I'll take it up."

"Oh, no you don't. For all I know you're going to trip over your big feet and the tray will fall and I'll have to clean it up," Buffy picked up the tray, looking up at her baby brother.

"At least I don't have a BIG HEAD!" Sam shouted after her, munching on a piece of toast, annoyed.

Joyce came down the stairs in a fluffy robe; Buffy was trailing after her clutching the tray in her arms.

"Are you feeling any better, mom?" Sam asked. Joyce smiled, sitting down beside her son, "I'm fine, Sammy. Just a headache."

"It's not just a headache, mom. These headaches have been coming everyday; you're barely getting enough sleep as it is!" Buffy argued, "Did the doctors say anything?"

"Not anything they haven't told me, I have an x-ray scheduled for later this afternoon," Joyce waved off her daughter's concern.

"Well, I'll take you," Buffy said. Sam and Joyce looked at her, incredulously.

"Buffy, honey, you can't drive." Joyce reminded her daughter, gently.

"I took the class! I can drive!"

"Yeah, into a wall," Sam snorted.

"Shut up, big foot," Buffy glared at him.

"Make me, Barbie!"

"Alright, both of you, stop fighting. Sam can drive me," Joyce said. Sam grinned at his sister, triumphantly, "ha!"

"I don't need to be driven around by my baby brother," Buffy pointed out with annoyance.

"Well, Buffy you don't need to be there. It's just a check-up," Joyce said.

"But I want to be there," Buffy told her mother, seriously.

"Thank you," Joyce smiled at her daughter, stroking her hand. Buffy grinned.

"Now if I'm not mistaken don't you have a prior commitment?" Joyce asked.

"It's a Scooby meeting but I can blow it off," Buffy replied.

"Buffy, you don't have to do that, I'm fine."

"But-"

"No buts, I was thinking of going back to sleep anyways," Joyce said. Buffy sighed, "Okay, but don't do any housework and call me if you need anything."

"Will do," Joyce nodded.

"We're still on for movie night right, mom?" Sam asked.

"You guys have a movie night?" Buffy asked, timidly.

"It's just something we've started doing together when you're on patrol," Sam explained. Buffy looked down.

"I'm looking forward to it, and there's a sale at that store you like. Can I count on my shopping buddy to be there?" Joyce asked Buffy.

"This Saturday?"

"Uh-huh, we can spend some mother-daughter time together," Joyce nodded.

"Uh, I can't. I'm training with Giles," Buffy said, embarrassed.

"Oh. Well, that's alright. Another time. Sam will go with me," Joyce smiled at her son.

"You bet," he nodded, drinking down his orange juice.

"Uh, okay. I'll just be going," Buffy said. Joyce gave her daughter a smile as Buffy handed her mother a mug of tea. Sam flipped through his school binder. Even though it was only Saturday, Sam liked to be prepared.

"Hey mom, could you look over my English paper? Oh! And I need money for the bus later," Sam babbled, remembering his check list. Buffy grabbed her brother's ear, pulling him out the door.

"I thought you said I couldn't come!" Sam cried.

"Well, I changed my mind. Mom doesn't need you annoying her when she's sick!" Buffy said.

"I don't annoy her! I'm around more than you!" Sam pointed out.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're always patrolling. Or training. And before that, you were dating a vampire!"

"So this is about Angel!?"

"I didn't like him! And he didn't like me!"

"Yeah, because you punched him out!"

"He was screwing my sister!"

Buffy glared at him and walked away.

"Besides, we weren't talking about that. We were talking about how you being a Slayer is making mom lonely," Sam caught up to her.

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm the Chosen One destined to save the world," Buffy snapped, "I didn't choose this you know."

"Yeah, yeah. It's an over-used line. You are such a drama queen," Sam rolled his eyes.

Buffy snapped her mouth shut and continued walking, obviously upset about what her brother said.

Dawn walked down the campus of her university, a gym bag slung over her shoulder. She stopped in front of a large, oak tree and sat down on the stone bench beside it. Dawn pulled out her novel and began to read. Large hands covered her eyes and Dawn tensed up, stopping herself from elbowing the person in the ribs.

"Guess who?" It whispered, huskily in her ear.

"Alex, what're you doing?" Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and whirled around.

"Being the world's best boyfriend," the black curly-haired boy smiled.

"Oh really?" Dawn raised her eyebrow.

"I pulled some strings and got you an audition for The California Ballet Company," Alex smiled.

"You're kidding!" Dawn threw her arms around him elated.

"Nope," Alex smiled. Dawn kissed him, "you are the absolute best fiancée ever!"

"Do I get a favor?" Alex grinned.

"Oh you get a big favor, there could be outfits," Dawn whispered, kissing him again. Alex wrapped his arms around her.

Dawn sat up in bed, heart hammering as she heard the tiniest of noises. It was years of training and being on the run that made her grab the knife hidden under the mattress and tiptoe out of bed. She moved silently through the house, keeping the knife taut and ready for attack. A dark shape rooted through her fridge and she saw the barest glimpse of a familiar face. Dawn breathed out in relief and turned on the kitchen light. The figure squinted at her, pupils adjusting to the sudden brightness of the room.

"Gonna use that on me, Dawnie?" He asked, grabbing a bottle of beer and closing the fridge with his heavy-soled boot. Dawn shook her head in disbelief and put the knife down on the counter.

"I was thinking about it. What the hell're you doing here, Dean?"

"Looking for a beer. All I found was this diet stuff though," Dean shrugged, shaking the brown bottle at her.

"That doesn't answer my question. What're you doing here?" Dawn asked again. Dean grimaced as he drank from the bottle.

"Got anything to eat? I'm starving." Dean asked as he rooted through the fridge again. Dawn narrowed her eyes.

"Dean, what is it? What's wrong?" Dawn asked, worriedly. "Is it-is it about dad?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" Dean asked as he pulled out a container of cold spaghetti and a fork.

"You're doing that 'evasive-changing-the-subject' thing. You only do that when something bad happened." Dawn pointed out. Dean poked his fork into the spaghetti, shoveling it into his mouth. He chewed before answering.

"Yeah, it's about dad." Dean nodded. Dawn grabbed the container and put it in the microwave for a few minutes before handing it back to her brother.

"Is he okay?" Dawn sat down across from her older brother.

"He was following a lead somewhere in California. He said he'd only be gone a few days but that was a week ago." Dean said as he played with his fork.

"A week? Dean, why didn't you call me?" Dawn looked at her brother.

"I didn't want to bother you." Dean shrugged.

"Bother me!? Bother-Dean, we need to get on the road and find him!" Dawn stood up.

"Whoa! Hold on there, Dawn. He can take care of himself." Dean put a hand up to stop his sister.

"Then…why would you come here? If not to ask for my help?" Dawn was confused.

Dean smiled in amusement, "your help? Dawnie, no offense but you're not a hunter."

"I know that!" Dawn replied, hotly. Dean raised his eyebrow and took another bite, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I just-Dean, it's DAD! You shouldn't be eating three week leftovers out of my fridge! You should be out there looking for him! We should be out there looking for him!" Dawn hissed, frustrated. Dean looked at the spaghetti, "this is three weeks old?" His face paled.

"Dean," Dawn sighed with exasperation.

"Alright, you're right but he told me that if anything happened to him, I had to protect you." Dean said.

"And what? You're just going to sit on my couch and watch over me day and night? Dad could be dead for all we know!?" Dawn tried to keep her anger under control.

"He's not dead." Dean said, firmly.

"How do you know?!"

"Because I do!"

"What's going on here?" Alex interrupted the two siblings. They both looked at him.

"It's nothing, baby. Dean just stopped by." Dawn said. Dean waved, "hey, Alex."

"It didn't sound like nothing. Is something wrong?" Alex went over and wrapped and arm around Dawn's waist in comfort. Dawn smiled at him, "no. It's my dad. He's-"

"Actually waiting for me. Sorry to bother you, I just needed to get something. Dawnie, wanna come see me out?" Dean said as he stood up. Dawn recovered from her shock quickly and nodded then kissed Alex, "I'll come to bed in a few minutes."

"I thought-" Dawn whispered as she lead her brother to the front door.

"…I'm going back to finish the job he was starting. You're right; I should've looked for him first."

"…So why the sudden change of heart?" Dawn asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Like I really want to hear my sister and her fiancé doing the nasty at night," Dean made a face. Dawn rolled her eyes with a smile, "you'll call? When you find him?"

Dean nodded, "of course."

"Dean…just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt." Dawn said as her brother stepped out into the hall. He shot her a 'devil may care' smirk, "now where's the fun in that?"

Dawn watched until her brother got into the elevator before closing and locking the door behind her. She pushed off of it and went back into the bedroom. Hopefully she wouldn't have anymore nightmares for tonight.